http://ichthys.com/ 
Mutual Encouragement in Christ XXI

Dear Prof. I got your mail. Was excited. Thanks sir.

Still having court cases but have learnt (learning) to trust more in the Lord after the miracle that He did.

God bless you and thanks again
Response #1:  
Sorry to hear that you're still having to deal with this. I am keeping this and you and yours in my daily prayers, my friend.

Nothing is impossible for our God!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #2:  
Dear Bob,

I see that you have a new series on Hebrews. 

This is great news and I believe it will be something that benefits ___ and others with a similar struggle.

I just want to take the time out to thank you and say, God bless you. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may He shine His face upon you and smile on you and all your loved ones. 

Praise our dear Lord, Jesus Christ forever and ever.
Response #2:  
Thanks! Good to hear from you.

I have been corresponding with ___ but haven't heard after our latest exchange for a moment.

Hebrews has two parts up, the introduction and chapter one; working on chapter two at present. Hope to have that up sometime later this spring. [n.b., now intro plus ten chapters available at the link]

Thanks for the good words! Hope all goes well with you too, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #3:   
Hey Dr. Luginbill, 

Just wanted to give you an update that I got a job and already put in a week of work. Working for a logistical company cleaning up around the cold storage warehouse (custodial). They told me there is room to advance after however many months into a material handler/ forklift operator position. That is something I want to do because that is a good skill to have and one I could take with me wherever I go (though I hope to stay at this place for a career). Only a few years left before the balloon goes up though, so I have doubts I'll have ended up working there long (4-5 years max). I don't think it's good to sit around for too long, even if one is occupied with writing and studying. 

I appreciate all the prayers you have offered up on my behalf, so thank you. The ministry is coming along and I should be ready to launch my website in January/February of next year, 2023 [now at the link]. Our brother has been a tremendous help in showing me how to build it and has helped with all the technical work. I'm glad to have his help. 

Your brother in Christ, 
Response #3:  
Thanks for the update, my friend. I'll put this promotion on my prayer list for you.

Exciting to hear about the impending launch of your own e-ministry. Good for you!

Please convey my greetings to ___. He really is a "rock" and we are all blessed to know him. I'm sure that his reward will be quite something special.

Keeping you both in my prayers daily.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #4:   
Hi Dr,

Just checking up on you and to see how goes it in Christ.

Take care and my prayers are always with you, your family and ministry.

Please add prayer list for my children, particularly one son who might be engaged in ___.

God bless
Response #4:  
Thanks for checking in, my friend.

Prayers appreciated at present.

I'll be praying for your children and for your boy in particular.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #5:   
Good Morning and thank you for your wonderful website!! I know you are probably busy so I will keep my question short.

I live in (Tampa area); I am wondering if you know of any person/people who understand and realise what time it is and I would like to share and encourage one another in the Lord so we are truly equipped and strengthened as we prepare for the fast approaching Tribulation Train Wreck.

I thank God for you and your work!
Response #5:  
Very good to make your acquaintance! Thanks for the encouraging words.

I haven't been down there in some years, but my parents, when they were alive, had retired to Lakeland, so I've been to Tampa and environs many times. Nice place! However, I don't know of any like-minded churches thereabouts. Of course, that is true of most of the US at present as well.

There is an Ichthys forum, a get-together place set up by Steven T. where readers of this ministry can socialize online. I would be happy to pass your name and email along to him if you would like.

Thanks again for your good words!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #6:  
Hi Bob,

Did you make it safely through the storm? When I was driving home from work on Friday, I saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky. It always reminds me of God's promise that never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. And I had faith in Him that you wouldn't be flooded either. I've been praying for the people in Mississippi - Alabama too. It's in the news over here too. I've watched videos and seen photos and they've been hit so hard by that tornado haven't they, Bob? It's devastating for them. I always pray that through this kind of thing people will turn to the Lord - not only for help but for salvation.

Clocks moved forward an hour here today. One hour less sleep - I'll survive!

Keep safe, Bob. Praying for you.

In Jesus
Response #6:  
Yes, they really got hammered south of us. The scenes from there are much like the ones from western KY a couple of years ago. In fact, it's a rare spring in the US when we don't have something like this, multiple times. Why does the US seemingly get hit with these things more than other places? I'd like to think it's a case of "whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (Heb.12:6). On the other hand, there are natural disasters aplenty worldwide all the time. And I'm sure it's only the bigger ones that get up on our radar, so to speak, here in the states. I likewise pray for the believers involved in these things. We know that our Lord takes care of us no matter what, whether He delivers us from the storm or whether He brings us safely through to the other side.
No harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.
Psalm 91:10 NIV
We trust in Him, no matter what – and are never disappointed in that trust.

And I too pray that for those who are not saved – or believers not doing what they should be doing – that events such as this will get the attention of all who consider them, in a godly way. I'm sure that always has something to do with it. For us who are walking close to Him, though we have to go "through fire and water", He always brings us through (Ps.66:12).
When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.
Proverbs 10:25 NIV
Thanks for the help! Sorry about the clock! I need about a week to recover from the spring change (good thing it happened over spring break this year).

Keeping you and yours in my prayers, and thank you so much for yours as always.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #7:   
Hi Bob,

Amen! The Lord has His good and perfect reasons for allowing these things to happen. I always think that even if we don't understand His reasons we know that He is in control, He is perfect, loving, just and merciful and we can trust Him to take care of us. 

I reached CT Part 4 at the weekend. I've been studying other stuff in between but I'm going to keep my focus on finishing CT now. I'll have read everything you've written then (apart from all of the email postings) and I'll keep on re-reading everything.

Hope you've had a good day!

In Jesus
Response #7:  
That is a wonderful statement, my friend. I think if every believer could say this – and really understand it and really MEAN it – we'd all be in a lot better shape spiritually.

I'm very encouraged to hear that you're re-reading – and not just because of your help with the typos.

Keeping you and your family in daily prayer (thanks for yours of course!).

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #8:   
Hi Bob,

Thanks for checking yesterday. I didn’t have a chance to sit down and write yesterday. Hopefully this email will be two for two in getting through. I’m not sure what is going on with the email system through my provider. We have been getting a huge influx of people from the Seattle area and California in the last few years and our little town is growing too fast for my liking. They have been trying to update the system as fast as they can so who knows what happened. Hopefully, it is really fixed and I will have no more problems. 

It looks like the last email I received a reply from you was back in October of 2021, so I’ll update from there. I was able to keep my job in spite of the vaccine mandate. Our hospital at the time was down 500+ in staff and they were mandated by our governor to fire anyone without the vaccine. They fired over 500+ people (more like a 1,000 from insiders that I know). They decided that hiring traveling nurses was the way to go and now they are over $10 million in debt and have fired all the traveling nurses. With all the people moving here, I hope our hospital doesn’t shut down.

The dangerous neighbor is GONE! PRAISE GOD!!! I was nervous that he would do one last thing before he moved but God kept us safe and nothing happened. We can’t thank you enough for all the prayers and support you gave us during that time. Those were 5 long years! I learned so much during that time and grew more than I would have without it, so it was a blessing but sure a tough one! We have added some security to the property in case he gets drunk one night and decides to come back. We have very quiet neighbors right now

Mom turned 91 in July. I am so thankful she is still doing well for her age and that I still have her. We both had C19 in October but, thankfully, it was nothing more than a head cold for either one of us. We were both tired for a few months afterward and my hands felt raw throughout the winter months but are fine now.

We had crazy hot weather in the summer, crazy smoke from fires in the late summer and into what little fall we had and then crazy snow for three months. We are just now getting some warmer and better weather. 

I have been finding encouragement with the weekly emails and your recent Hebrews posting. Other than the daily flak to keep me on my toes and leaning on the Lord, everything is going ok. I hope things are well for you and yours. 

If you’re still in contact with Pastor Omo, would you let him know I’m still around? I stopped hearing from him in November (he would send emails every month). I know Amy isn’t well and he has/had a surgery recently. If we continue to have good luck in communicating, I will contact him soon.

Hopefully I will hear from you!

In Him,
Btw, I don’t know if you watch ladies basketball, but ___ of the Louisville Cardinals is a hometown girl. I don’t know her personally but she’s been making good waves around here for quite awhile. I see this morning that their season is over.
Response #8:  
Great news!!!

I'm very happy we're back "in comm" . . . and also of course that this huge weight has finally been lifted. God is good! He always delivers us. He is absolutely faithful. Our job is to wait patiently for His deliverance. It took a long time in this case, but I have seen that before. Your testimony, "I learned so much during that time and grew more than I would have without it, so it was a blessing but sure a tough one!" says it all. Kudos to you, my friend, for staying faithful to Him in this most difficult test. Stars in your crown on the other side, I am sure.

Great news that you kept your job too when everyone else was losing theirs! I know that was a concern. You did what you felt was right and the Lord rewarded you for that. Reminds me of that verse, "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you" (Ps.91:7).

I have heard from Curt recently (Bible Academy). I'll let him know I've heard from you.

Thanks for all the good words — and the prayers!

In Jesus,

Bob L.
p.s., don't know the woman; I do know we've got a pretty good women's team (don't get many sports team members in Greek and Latin, LOL!).
Question #9:  
Hi Bob, 

Yes, God is very good and I am so grateful for His mercy and His protection. I am sorry to say that I wasn't the most patient and certainly not the best mannered Christian I could be during this trial. Polishing off the rough edges is never easy. That's for sure!

Thank you for contacting Curt for me. He reached out with an email, so I will see if my reply goes through. 

I'm sure you don't get many team members in your class. Lol. I don't follow sports anymore unless it's a baseball game here or there. When I saw she played for Louisville, I thought of you. 

Thank you for your continued prayers. You and your are in ours as well.

In Him, 
Response #9:  
It's my pleasure – let me know if you don't hear back and I'll be happy to shoot him a line from this end.

Technology is great – except when it doesn't work. Can't remember ever having trouble with snail mail getting through.

None of us is perfect and no one probably ever passed such a long test without any stumbling whatsoever. Not many "perfect papers" here in the real world. The important thing is that you passed the test!

Thanks for the prayers! 

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #10:   
Hi Bob,

Hope you've had a good day.

I just wanted to say thank you for your prayers for __. __ is feeling better and we all are relieved too. Thanks so much, Bob.

Yes, trying my best with my studies while supporting all of my family with what they want to do too. It's not always an easy task so I rely on the Lord to help me. I can't do anything in my own strength, but I can in His strength. One day at a time.

I'm very thankful to have you there too.

In Jesus
Response #10:  
Thank you! 

It's my pleasure – thanks for sharing the good news! 

Life is a balancing act for most people – how much more so for believers who are trying to do what is right in all critical areas of their lives AND maintain spiritual momentum at the same time. That is hard enough to pull off when your near and dear ones sympathize and are trying to do the same. So you have a hard path – but you are walking it wonderfully well.

Keeping you in my prayers too, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #11:  
[omitted: overworked on the job and struggling to do what is right]
Response #11:  
Sorry for not getting back to you before now. Yesterday was a very difficult day and I didn't even get to finishing posting until very late. I've pulled things back into shape sufficiently to be ready to go back to work tomorrow.

I did see your emails though and I was (and am) praying for you, my friend. It's a testimony to the spiritual growth that you have had that you were able to handle this crisis by trusting the Lord and His truth. So I applaud you for that.

All jobs are trouble, but some are worse than others. I'm praying for things for things to smooth out for you down there – or else find something better.

Hang in there, my friend. We will not always be bearing the heat of the day as we are presently (Rev.7:16).

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #12:  
Dear Bob,

Thank you for your prayers and inquiry, for the Lord has used an expensive probate lawyer to settle the now sold properties and disperse the monies amongst the four kids. Though there was much not traceable and improperly documented and taken unfairly, I have released that to the Lord. My new concern now is for the wisdom and grace to walk this unique blessing out while keeping it private, not trusting in it, but always in our Lord.

Though I can now live comfortably after serving the Lord many years in missions, my heart is severely broken from the treatment of my family, and suicide of the only cousin who came to my rescue. When the tears flow, I remind myself that our Lord is near to the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.

Currently bibles and orphans in Pakistan and hospital chaplain work in Hawaii have been my focus, while gardening at my new home here in Palm Springs. Kevin Zadai and warrior notes on YouTube has been a blessing, amongst others like yourself who tend to the wellbeing of His flock.

May the Lord bless and keep you ever close to his heart, and shielded under his everlasting arms,
Gratefully Yours,
Response #12:  
Thanks for the update, my friend. I'm pleased to hear that this particular problem has been resolved. Legal issues are very troubling and weigh a person down in ways that those who have never dealt with them might not understand. Also great to hear that you have found a profitable venue for your missions activity. I've been praying for that.

Thanks for your good words and wishes – keeping you in my prayers.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #13:   
Doc, I just don't know anymore...I know I may have made massages similar to this before, but I've come to a point I truly can't bring myself to care much at all about it all. I feel like none of it really matters even if intellectually I know it's important. Who cares if this world is in spiritual chaos? Who cares if so many people are going to Hell? I can't even truly care that I might. I'm just so burnt out with everything, this endless struggle of life and this fallen world, I don't even give much care to the fact that everything I cherish is going to be blown away eternally. I've truly gotten to the point where I'm just waiting for it all to end, both for me and this world when it all burns to ash. I don't care anymore. Heaven, Hell, what does it matter at this point? I'm looking forward to the conclusion to this insufferable reign of humanity either way.
Response #13:  
It matters . . . a LOT.

And even if it doesn't matter to you at the moment, it WILL.

If you want the joy of the Lord, that requires spiritual growth and consistency therein. Every other path leads away from Him and, eventually, to nowhere good.

So please take the new year as a time for a new start and commit to doing what you know you need to do. It is painful? That pain is a sign of growth - - good pain, as opposed to the despair that comes from spiritual drifting.

Keeping you in my prayers.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #14:   
Instead of splitting up questions into separate emails, this time I have a few all in one

1. What would be an example of acceptable humor? You say all course humor and even most that isn't isn't allowed by God. What would be humor that isn't buffoonish or coarse?

2. This somewhat toes into the first. Would you say that game I talked about, Kingdom Hearts, is sinful? Some more details are it's a Disney game, but unlike almost all of them it's heavily focused on fast paced combat, and many people do self imposed challenges in it, including the lv1 which I took up recently and was doing until today where I'm trying to control how invested I am in it. There also is some humor that while not exactly coarse by the Bible's definition, would fall into somewhat buffoonish territory.

3. How do I, who can hardly feel actual emotion for much if at all, who's very near irreparably seared his conscience, attain some level of remorse that can spur me to never do such bad things again? Do I just need to read the Bible and pray until it clicks?

4. Anyone who truly is seeking and growing in the Lord will start to care less and less about spiritually unprofitable things, even if they aren't sinful, until they don't really care at all about it anymore, essentially grow out of it entirely, right? That's OK I suppose, most of these things tempt me in bizarre and frankly horrific ways anyway...
Response #14:  
1) " ... even most that isn't isn't [isn't] allowed by God" – I never said anything of the sort. As to what is not unacceptable, anything that doesn't involve sex or sexuality or foul language or blasphemy or make fun of someone else or involve anything else the Spirit and your conscience find offensive . . . this is a situational application. "Why did the chicken cross the road . . . " is OK – not funny, but OK.

2) I don't know anything about the game. Games that don't include the things mentioned above may not be unacceptable. Playing games is a choice. You could be reading Ichthys instead. We all need a break now and again. But if ALL we do is play games . . .

3) Spiritual recovery is a process. Eventually, as you confess, repent, fight the fight of staying away from sin (defense), and push forward in spiritual growth, moving closer to the Lord and not farther away, your conscience will grow less hard. There are no overnight solutions. But every step backward puts the good days farther away.

4) Just like we no longer care about riding rocking horses and playing with crayons, so also as we grow spiritually we eventually are less attracted by pointless things. Tempting things are different, however. We will be tempted as long as we are in these bodies. We can get better at resisting – we must get better. Same process as above.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #15:   
Someone said in a video that within 10 years (just a year before Christ's return!) DNA assembly machines will likely be widely available to the public. Do you think artificially made diseases like what could be make this way will be part of the Tribulation? I don't want to be deceived in regards to this.

So Doc...correct me if i'm wrong on any of this: you say that because of the warning of the "third angel" and because we will not be subject to the "empowerment of error" as believers, the chances of even marginal believers taking the Mark Of The Beast is low-But sadly, 1 third of believers during the first half of the Tribulation, consisting almost entirely of marginal believers, will apostasize to follow the Antichrist. Thus, we should grow to spiritual maturity and far beyond that to prepare so we won't be deceived or coaxed into taking it.
Is all of that right? And what are the implications for me?

I once seemingly woke up from a dream and it was very hard to get up...then it turned out to be a dream within a dream...and it went into a cycle of wakeup fakeouts that lasted so long I was truly scared I would never actually wake up. It was only when I cried out to God to save me that I actually woke up. This keeps happening though, and it makes me so scared every time. Please pray this will stop.

Read my last email too, sorry for kind of breaking my new email format, but another important question came up. You say according to the Bible the earth isn't a sphere but isn't flat either...are the space pictures of earth fake then? And you say the universe is a dome surrounding the earth...am I just misreading what you say in it? Because I don't want to buy into some massive conspiracy going on similar to what the flat earthers say is happening just to believe the Bible, I would like to keep my beliefs logically sound, because if they aren't logically consistent isn't that similar to cultic belief?
Response #15:  
I have no idea about that. But it really doesn't matter. If the Lord wants us to survive until He returns, that we will do. I think there are a lot of potentially more scary things in Revelation than this . . . for those who do not have the Lord's protection, the sealing of His Holy Spirit as we do.

Clearly, the earth is NOT flat (see the link).  As to "the earth isn't a sphere", here is a link on how scripture describes it "Does the Bible ever describe the earth as being round?"

As to believers who apostatize during the Tribulation, that is how I interpret the scriptures: one third will do so (see the link:  The Great Apostasy). But remember that apostasy is total loss of FAITH in Jesus Christ. Knowing the consequences, namely, the lake of fire, what person who still believed in Christ would take the mark? Especially when the consequences will be proclaimed audibly from heaven at the time (Rev.14:9-11)?

I am keeping you in my prayers. If you are thinking about God and looking to Him for help in your dreams, that is a decidedly good sign: it means that He is becoming more and more the center of your thoughts – as indeed He should be, sleeping or waking.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #16:  
So __ posted the entire discussion that he had with you regarding the topic "would God ever withhold the truth from us." After seeing some of the answers you gave in the discussion on the forum in which I am also involved I felt a need to email you about a few points (this won't be long). I only ask because it is the truth I am after and I don't want to strawman and misrepresent your views on this subject in case someone were to ever ask me "what does the professor believe on this issue?" But allow me to clarify some things first. 

Regarding the formulation:

2) The problem I have with this formulation is that it generalizes about things – people – which cannot really be generalized in a meaningful way. We are all different and God treats us for who we are and where we are. In that simple sentence are a virtually infinite number of variations. To drill down a bit and restate, at the heart of this discussion seems to me to be an assumption that God acts arbitrary and plays favorites. That is decidedly untrue. 

What we can say in all such circumstances, including in every one of the permutations of this present discussion, is that “God knows what He is doing” and “He is working things out for our good in so doing” and “there is nothing whatsoever unfair or biased or prejudiced in what He is doing”.

The parts I have in bold above is something we all agree on but is not the topic of what we are discussing. That is not what the position we are taking is suggesting at all. So there is no assumption from anybody here (we all agree that God doesn't act arbitrarily and play favorites-nor is He ever unfair or prejudiced) . 

With that being said, "do you believe there could be/are other reasons for God withholding the truth from someone as soon as they really want it/are ready for it other than hardness of heart- aka, free will?" If yes or no, then that answers everything for us as far as I can tell. I just want to know what you think - even if I'm not sure I'll agree or not - I would have to think about this more. 

Hopefully I'm not being pushy (I'm not trying to be). But if I don't ask you this question, then I (as well as some others) can only run around in circles trying to guess at where you stand on this. If you don't want to answer, then don't be afraid to tell me. And if you answer, would you be ok with me sharing your response on the forum? 

In His grace and power, 
Response #16:  
You're free to share, my friend.

When you say that this "is not the topic of what we are discussing", I'm not so sure that it's not a necessary underpinning of saying that God withheld something good for no apparent reason but only because of arbitrariness – or else the person having it withheld was somehow flawed. I don't believe either of those propositions.

God is much bigger than we know; and life is too complicated to reduce things to either/or cases for most things. Certainly that is so with all matters of application. You and I may make the exact same decision in what looks to be an absolutely identical situation and I could be wrong and you right (or vice versa) – because we are not the same (and of course the are innumerable other differences, most of which we couldn't articulate if we invested years in the project). So my answer to anyone who says "God withheld X from me when I wanted and needed it" would always be, "If so (I certainly don't know that and I doubt you can really know that), then He had perfect reasons for doing so". And, "But what is the point of rehashing the past – especially since now He has given you more truth than you can handle?".

Hope you have a good week ahead.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #17:   
Thanks for the response! I completely agree we shouldn't rehash the past, or make this an issue to any individual we are teaching. But I have always stuck by the principle (which I think you agree with)? that the more aggressively we search for something, the faster we will get what we are after. That is something I would most certainly teach in a general study. 

When you say that this "is not the topic of what we are discussing", I'm not so sure that it's not a necessary underpinning of saying that God withheld something good for no apparent reason but only because of arbitrariness -- or else the person having it withheld was somehow flawed. I don't believe either of those propositions. 

As far as what you believe, do you believe this also applies to someone (one individual only) who (from day one) started seriously searching for a serious in-depth teaching ministry but didn't find one until after 10-30 years? Do you think there could be other reasons God would withhold a good teaching ministry from someone for that long even though they wanted one many, many years ago? I'm inclined to think that you would still say there could possibly be other reasons (other than free will and hardness of heart), am I correct? Or would you be skeptical like me and just leave it at that and say, "I don't know" (since skepticism leans in one direction without actually taking a position)? 

I completely understand searching for the truth (a good teaching ministry which is how we get a lot of it) is always a process, which means it will never be immediate and can take months to even a few years depending. We are also imperfect human beings with a sinful nature so that a lot of delays we may undergo no doubt do come back on us. But 10-30 years? Doesn't that sound a little extreme? One argument that I made is that seeing as how crucial and important good solid Bible teaching is for our spiritual growth, then I would have a hard time believing God wouldn't bring it around much sooner since it is such a critical necessity for our spiritual advance. Of course He will sustain us during the time when we didn't have a good primary teacher, but I have a hard time imagining this would take decades and this would give me the impression that a person who took that long may have wasted a lot of time which means that said interval was unnecessary (more like self-inflicted). I would never mention it to them even if I'm not obligated to believe it had to take that long. I don't think I have to automatically believe someone just because they told me it was so (I have every right to be skeptical or unsure since how can I know for sure what they are telling me is the truth?). 

In His grace and Power, 
Response #17:  
For all of us who HAVE found something good, shouldn't we be thanking the Lord that we have (rather than grousing about how long it took)? Did Abraham rejoice at the birth of Isaac? That took a long time too. I don't remember Abraham complaining about the time after the fact.

Also, I have a real problem with dividing up into simple A or B categories things that are for all essential purposes incongruous. Just look at the different life experiences of the patriarchs. What a difference between Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the latter's children, especially Joseph. All great believers, but they were "treated" in quite different ways . . . if we were to subject them to this sort of analysis. On the other hand, God was completely faithful to them all. To me, that is what counts. After all, He knew them . . . and knows us . . . better than they did themselves.

I really don't think it is possible to hypothesize believer A or B because in practical terms none of us is A or B – we are all unique; we are all different. God loves us all. We all belong to Jesus Christ. But our life experiences, the plan God has for us individually, is different in each case. We can wonder why. If we search with wisdom, we may get some insights. But in the end, we are only spinning our wheels if we get fixated on this sort of thing. And believe me when I say that I have seen many believers hamstring themselves by focusing on the past over issues that are related closely enough to this issue to give me concern about even discussing it in depth. We need to trust God. And while it may be true that a lack of faith or trust is not necessarily at the root of such discussions, if a person becomes defensive or comes to feel that he/she was not treated fairly vis-à-vis some other believer, these things can sow such seeds.

For example, although Joseph was a man of humility and integrity, his brothers sold him into slavery, his master's wife falsely accused him and he was sent to prison for no fault of his own, quite the opposite, and he spent a good deal of time in captivity. God, of course, worked it all for good (Rom.8:28) as Joseph certainly came to see when he tells his brothers, "you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Gen.50:20). In between, in all the years of struggle, he maintained his integrity as his close walk with God. And speaking of waiting, Abraham is one of the greatest believers of all time, but he had to wait many years for an heir. 

One of the things that strikes me about the patriarchs and other OT believers, as I had mentioned in a prior discussion, is that while the Bible tells us some things about them, we don't see their daily walk with the Lord, what that was like. Similarly, when a brother or sister says something about their spiritual state in the past, we might well wonder, were you "like that" 24/7? I really don't think I could do a very good job explaining my precise spiritual status or fairly characterize how well or poorly I "fought the fight" on any random day ten or twenty or thirty years ago. That might be difficult enough to do for last week. The point is that we are ever in flux in our spiritual status as we fight our way forward (one hopes!), three steps forward, two back, one to the left, two to the right, back on track. And of course, this familiar analogy cannot begin to reckon on all the innumerable thoughts we are having, how we are or are not focusing on the Lord and His truth. 

A person may have access to good Bible teaching, but what are they doing with it? How much time are they spending on it every day? How well are they paying attention when they are focusing on it? Are they really bearing down in the Spirit so as to "get it"? Are they accepting it? Are they taking pains to remember it and apply it throughout the day? One could go on. And the same sorts of questions apply to reading one's Bible and to prayer and to every thought and decision large or small we make day by day. The point is that one can want something good but not have the capacity to really appreciate it or exploit it – or the willingness to do what it takes to do so. We know that is the case because even though "we", in my opinion, have access to some very good teaching, and lots of it, "we" are not doing everything we could be doing to exploit. That is not an accusation. That is human nature. We could all do better, even if we are doing pretty well. God knows this, obviously, since He knows all, and there can be no doubt but that such considerations do come into play in His fashioning of the perfect plan for each of us.

So that is one side of the equation. God knows when we will be able to benefit from and handle whatever it is He is giving us, and it wouldn't be long before we were complaining and making excuses if we weren't able to handle something good He gave us before we really were ready for it. That I know was certainly the case in my own life. And it brings to mind what Adam said when interrogated after the fall: “The woman whom YOU gave to be with me, SHE gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Gen.3:12 NKJV). That would be possibly be funny . . . except when we remember that 1) we would have done/said likewise, 2) we have undoubtedly done/said things similar enough in our own lives too (at least in our thoughts), and 3) we are all as embarrassingly wrong to blame God for blessing us as Adam was.

The other side of the equation is the fact that God can do much with little since nothing is impossible for Him (e.g., Eccl.10:10). Recalling the patriarchs again, none of them knew much about eschatology. All that wonderful information had yet to be revealed. We know that they only saw Jesus through shadows (1Pet.1:10-12), yet He and His sacrifice are the bedrock of our faith. If Abraham had been moved by the Spirit to write a "Bible Basics" series, what, pray tell, would have been in there – there was at that time as yet not a single scripture. And yet who can doubt his extreme spiritual maturity? Yes he did have direct revelation from the Lord, but not the sort of "Bible teaching" that we access today. Not even of the sort available BEFORE Ichthys and Bible Academy, before Berachah, before Chafer, before Scofield, before Hodge (not to equate any of these, but just to give examples we all probably are aware of). This goes to show just how much God is able to accomplish with a very little information in the hearts of those who really are determined to trust Him. 

That is the critical thing. In the end, it's not about knowledge – it's about faith. Believing a little bit of truth to a great depth is superior to knowing a lot about the Bible but still operating on only a small amount of faith in that truth. Clearly, the best situation is maximum information and maximum faith applied to that truth. In patriarchal times, we see plenty of examples of great faith deployed even though their knowledge base was far less than ours can be (potentially, for those who exploit the opportunities). Who would dare, for example, to compare themselves to David in this regard? Reading the psalms, studying his life, we are struck by how much he loved the Lord, by how much he trusted the Lord – and that was his strength and his joy, focusing on Him more intently than intensely than most if not all believers today. And we too have the Holy Spirit as David did, only not as a special unction which might be removed as it was with Saul (cf. Ps.51:11); we have the indwelling of the Spirit permanently.

And so, it might be asked as well, "why did God wait so long to bring the ministries above (and like ones) onto the scene?" Wasn't that a disadvantage to those who went before? For believers prior to the cross? In all those prior centuries of the Church Age before the ministries mentioned above? What is an advantage to us surely was not as readily available to them or in such depth. But again, many believers of the past did more with less. This is the other side of the coin of why I think this issue is not an issue. God knows and knew what each of us would do with what we actually were given. If He chose to demonstrate that believer A would do a lot more with a little than believer B would do with a lot, that strikes me as just what we see throughout the plan of God in every respect (e.g., seeing also unbelievers existing in every clime and time and not being willing to believe no matter the circumstances, good or bad). What I do know about that is that no one has been truly disadvantaged even if everyone has received different levels of provision of the truth – or provision of anything else, for that matter. God has perfectly tailored everyone's life experience to 1) give that person everything they would actually use, in terms of the truth, and 2) gain as much reward as they were actually willing to gain. If that looks different in every case it is because every case is different. 

This all being so, it is possible to see the events of late-day Laodicea as a sort of reproach from the Lord and a demonstration of His absolute justice. He might well observe about our day and age that even though He provided the truth and detailed, quality teaching about the truth in a depth and quantity not previously available, and made it available to virtually everyone through the internet, nevertheless the thirst for said truth overall was less, significantly less, than in generations and Church eras past. That is certainly the trend. Our job as pastor-teachers – and as believers first – is not to be lukewarm about all these benefits and advantages we HAVE been given. Rather we should be appreciating them and making the most of them, spending more and more time and effort on them, quality time and effort, making use also of every waking moment to appreciate the Lord through that truth in a way approximating David (and all of the spiritual heroes in the Bible). They did much with little. Should we not take pains to not be found to have done much less with much more?
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 KJV
It's all about faith, day by day, moment by moment trusting the Lord more and more in all we do and say and think.
"For assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20b NKJV
In Jesus our dear Savior,

Bob L.
Question #18:   
Fair enough, and I think I agree with the overall gist of what you are saying. I'm gonna have to read your response through a few more times though, although other than this email, I don't think I will have any more questions for you. 

Would you say the word "withhold" is a good way to describe what you are saying? As in, since there could be plenty of other reasons why God would not give us the truth immediately (other than just free will-hardness of heart), does this mean that God does actually withhold the truth from us at times? Is "withhold" a good way to put it as long as we explain what we mean? 

In Christ, 
Response #18:  
No, I don't like "withhold" at all since that seems to presuppose that there is something God could be doing for us that we would actually benefit from which He isn't doing for us. In my experience and observation, God does "more than the most" for us at all times and in all things – if we are willing to accept that in faith:
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Romans 8:32 NKJV
Here is something I wrote about David in BB 6A apropos of this discussion:
Through many lonely days and lonelier nights, David spent the time he had to spare not in day-dreaming but in contemplating the truth he knew, in praying to the Lord and fellowshiping with Him, in remembering and applying the scriptures to everything he was experiencing, not just learning and considering the Word, but in actually living the Word – and so much so that the Lord truly became His joy and His one true love. David did this without many – or perhaps any – of the advantages we have today. So he stands as a premier example of what can be accomplished spiritually if the will is there, if the joy is there. This love and joy for the Lord with which David was thoroughly imbued sustained him even in times of the most severe testing (e.g., 1Sam.30:6), and even on those rare but notable occasions when David was in the wrong. For we see Him pouring out his heart to the Lord when forgiveness is needful too, not in cowardly fear but in great confidence of the grace and mercy of the One He knew so well, our dear Lord and Savior. Truly, this was a man after the Lord's own heart (1Sam.13:14), one who perhaps came closer than any other believer to loving the Lord with all the joy He is due.

On the other hand, claiming to be zealous and issuing that as a sort of implicit complaint is exactly what we ought to know we should not do – for that is what Elijah did:
And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” So he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
1st Kings 19:9-10
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #19:  
The above was helpful, but I didn't understand as much as I thought. Do you agree with the statement- " God will give the truth to those who want it as soon as they are ready for it." Or do you believe there could be reasons the Lord would not give it to us even if we are ready for it? 
Response #19:  
Are these my only two alternatives?
Question #20:   
I take this as in indirect answer. You believe there could be many other possible reasons why the Lord would delay giving us the truth other than us being ready or not being ready to receive it. In other words, even if someone is ready, the Lord could still delay in giving it to them for many other possible reasons. Am I right on your view here? If so, I might be answering my own question. 
Response #20:  
I think we should learn to trust the Lord. In fact, as pastor-teachers, we not only need to learn to be doing that better day by day, but we also need to be training up our congregations to do so.

What I mean by that is the Bible doesn't really work this way: it's not a tool for giving specific answers to difficult questions of application like the "Magic Eight Ball". On top of that, spiritual growth doesn't work this way either. You have been growing spiritually by reading Ichthys. That is the way it is supposed to work, namely, a Christian accesses a good teaching ministry, learns biblical truth broadly – not idiosyncratically. Then by believing the truth taught to them, and by learning to listen to the Spirit, a growing believer gets better at applying principles of truth to all manner of situations.

A lot of people think they can read the Bible for themselves and grow. That is not true, not even, initially, even for those with the gift of pastor-teacher. And many also believe they can just "go to the Bible" when they have a problem or a question they want help with – ignoring it all the rest of the time. But the Bible is not Wikipedia. It tells us things we didn't know we needed to know, and it is often silent about things which, for us personally, are pressing concerns. Any good teaching ministry will do that as well. Take our Lord's ministry as the prime example – or any epistle in the New Testament. In neither place do we generally find answers to questions people were asking (except obliquely to refute dangerous heresies). "How can I find a good job?" Instead, our Lord tells us that we shouldn't worry, that God always takes care of us (Matt.6:25-34). "How should I find my desired spouse?" Instead, Paul tells us that marriage brings trouble (1Cor.7:28). 

I tell you this because as a prospective pastor-teacher you're going to have to resist just this kind of plaintive appeal from members of your congregation. It is certainly alright to answer such questions – within a biblical framework, not going "beyond what is written" (1Cor.4:6). And, most especially, you'll want to be steering said person back on track, back to thinking about and asking about things that may not be pressing life issues to them but which are critical to know, understand and believe in order to run a good Christian race. Most "churches" today pander to these sorts of questions and concerns – to the exclusion of any true teaching. And it can get to the point of sinking a person's spiritual boat. If you haven't already done so, please read last Saturday/Sunday's posting and you'll see what I mean. It's not really terrible different, in my view, from hashing and rehashing the past over hypothetical and theoretical questions which are not spelled out in scripture. In my last long email to you, I did the best I could to explain how I see this issue: God is faithful. He has never been unfair to us. Whatever He did or didn't do (in our myopic estimation) was always for our own good. And our job is to move forward, not look backward. We should appreciate the truth He's made available to us now, not worry about what may or may not have happened in the past. Is there anyone out there who is really exploiting all the truth presently available to us? I don't think so. I could certainly do better myself. God sees to it that we get all that we need always, regardless of circumstances.
As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack."
2nd Corinthians 8:15 NKJV
In Jesus,

Bob L.
Question #21:   
Understood. I no longer take a position in the discussion we had. It has died down but I've dropped out of it for good and I'm glad to have done so because it was giving me brain cramps. There were some things worth discussing but a lot which I feel aren't things we need to focus on and get our minds wrapped around. Some things are just unknowable and shouldn't be our focus. I have nothing left to ask you, so don't worry, lol. You are probably sick of us at this point. I don't understand how you manage to get everything that you do done. Work and everything else makes ministry challenging for me. I'm tired. Admittedly, these discussions we have been having were preventing me from getting other stuff done, so I'm glad to have been productive yesterday. 

Congratulations on completing the first chapter of Hebrews! I can't get to it now but hope to in the (hopefully) not too distant future. 
Response #21:  
Thanks [now available with intro and through chapter 10]!

No, it's not easy to work full time as you are doing and get everything one would like to get done accomplished. The only way I have found is to keep on plugging consistently day by day – and that is not easy.

I consider it a great privilege to lend a hand to you guys along the way. I do concur with your latest conclusion, however, that there are better ways to spend your time. If you two (and the others) had spent the same amount of time and effort on, say, going over BB 4A: Christology, it would have been more enjoyable – and more beneficial.

Keeping you in my prayers daily, my friend.

In Jesus,

Bob L.
http://ichthys.com/